Apparatus for depositing molten metal on a moving metal strip



July 1, 1969 R. A. BRAUN 3,452,807

APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING MOLTEN METAL on A MOVING METAL STRIP Filed June 2, 1966 Sheet of s m S2 10 Ll.

INVENTOR.

RIUDOLPH A. BRAUN ATTORNEY y 1, 1969 R A. BRAUN 3,452,807

APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING MOLTEN METAL ON A MOVING METAL STRIP Filed June 2, 1966 Sheet 2 of s Luna-"-4 oo/oqoo h RUDOLPH A.BRAUN ATT N Y July 1, 1969 R. A. BRAUN 3,452,807

APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING MOLTEN METAL ON A MOVING METAL STRIP Filed June 2, 1966 Sheet 3 of s FIG.4 BY

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,452,807 APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING MOLTEN METAL ON A MOVING METAL STRIP Rudolph A. Braun, Willoughby, Ohio, assignor to Clevite Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 2, 1966, Ser. No. 554,729 Int. Cl. B22d 11/10, 19/00 U.S. Cl. 164-275 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention pertains to apparatus for depositing liquid babbitt on a moving metal strip, and more particularly is an improvement upon the apparatus described and claimed in United States application Ser. No. 271,959 filed on Apr. 10, 1963 in the name of Wilbert H. Morrison and Rudolph A. Braun, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, now Patent No. 3,290,735.

In the aforesaid application a moving steel strip having a porous sintered metal layer thereon progresses through a housing wherein in a protective atmosphere liquid babbitt material is applied to the top surface of the strip and infiltrates the pores. The moving metal strip is confined within the housing by rail means which force it to traverse a given path as it moves through the housing and which force it into a downward direction to a location where the babbitt is applied, and then force the stri in an upward direction toward the outlet end of the housing. The processed strip material is subsequently used for making sleeve bearings.

The apparatus of the present application constitutes an improvement upon the previously described apparatus in that the metal strip within the housing is relatively free to move laterally; the rails following the lateral motion of the moving metal strip rather than confining it as in the prior application, and serving as a bottom support for the strip and an edge seal to retain the liquid babbitt on the top surface of the strip.

A further improvement upon the previously described apparatus is achieved by mounting the pouring cup on the laterally movable rails so that the pouring cup also follows, to a certain extent, the lateral motions of the strip.

A further improvement is achieved in the design of the pouring cup by providing a quicker, more eflicient and more equal spreading of the molten babbitt completely across the width of the strip, the side rails serving to keep the liquid babbitt from flowing off the top of the strip.

A further improvement over the apparatus of the aforesaid application lies in the fact that the confining side rails are mounted on a pivot near the pouring cup, and the rails near the outlet end of the housing may be moved vertically to control the depth of the pool of liquid babbitt at the pouring cup.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for casting babbitt material on a moving metal strip wherein the control of the depth of the babbitt is more effectively maintained; and wherein the distribution of the liquid babbitt across the strip is more effective- 3,452,807 Patented July 1, 1969 ly controlled; and wherein equal depth of babbitt material is maintained across the width of the strip.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for casting liquid babbitt on a moving metal strip wherein sidewise or lateral motion of the strip within the housing is permitted, and the side rails and the pouring cup move laterally in accordance with the motions of the strip.

Another object of the present invention is to more effectively control the thickness of the babbitt layer applied to the moving metal strip and to more effectively control the sidewise tilt of the moving metal strip in order to obtain a uniform thickness of the babbitt material across the strip.

Still another object of the present invention is to permit the strip within the housing to move laterally rather than to forcibly hold it, thereby to reduce and more effectively control the tendency of the strip to bow transversely.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for applying molten metal to the top surface of an endless moving metal strip wherein all controls needed to uniformly control the depth of the applied metal and the uniform spread of the metal are outside of the pouring cup.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

With reference to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a sectional View through apparatus for coating a moving metal strip taken along line 1-1 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a view looking down on the equipment shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, showing the mechanism for guiding the strip into the housing; and

FIGURE 4 is a view taken along line 44 of FIG- URE 1, showing the edge rail and its adjusting mechanism.

An aspect of the invention lies in the provision of apparatus for depositing liquid babbitt material on a moving metal strip, which comprises an enclosing housing having an entrance end opening through which the moving metal strip passes, and an opening at the exit end out of which the metal strip passes after the liquid babbitt has solidified on the strip within the housing. At the entrance end to the housing there is mounted a pair of -shaped edge roller means on opposite sides of the strip. The roller means engage the edge of the strip and serve to define the location of the strip as it enters the housing. Within the housing there is mounted a pair of spaced apart floating edge rail means which are relatively free to move laterally with respect to the housing. Spring means bias the rail means against the two edges of the moving strip so that the rail means support the strip and form edge seals with the strip to prevent the liquid babbitt from running off of the top surface of the strip. Thus the floating edge rail means can move laterally against the bias of the springs in respect to the housing at the command of the strip as the strip passes lengthwise through the housing.

Babbitt pouring means are mounted within the housing and preferably on the edge rail means for pouring the liquid babbitt on the top surface of the moving strip at a location between the spaced apart edge rails. The pouring means comprises a pouring cup adapted to be mounted adjacent the top surface of the strip and having an outlet means directed downwardly toward the strip. The outlet means from the cup extend substantially across the width of the strip so that molten metal will be deposited substantially across the entire width of the strip. Roller means are connected to the cup adjacent the outlet means and extend substantially the Width of the cup. The roller means preferably are in engagement with the top surface of the strip thereby to spread the molten metal completely across the strip and to help maintain the cup outlet means spaced slightly above the surface of the strip.

With reference to the drawing there is shown in FIG- URE 1 housing means having an entrance opening 11 and an exit opening 12 through which the metal strip 13 passes as it moves through the housing 10. The housing 10 has a bottom portion 15, a top portion 16, and side walls 17 and 18 secured together in a well known manner. The entrance 11 is partially closed by the end wall 19 and the exit opening 12 is partially closed by the end member 20. While the entrance opening 11 appears rather large to confine the protective atmosphere within the housing, member 19 secures the housing 10 to a furnace member (not shown), out of which the metal strip 13 moves from the furnace.

Within the furnace is a protective atmosphere which passes through opening 11 into housing 10 to protect the strip and the molten babbitt during the pouring and cooling operations. A pair of V-shaped edge roller means 22 and 23 are mounted on brackets 24, 25 which are movably supported on bars 26, 27. The supporting bar 27 is in threaded engagement with the brackets 24, 25 and it extends to a location outside of the Wall 17 and is connected to a handle 29. Rotation of the handle 29 will cause the edge rollers 22, 23 to move toward or away from each other depending upon the direction of rotation of the handle, and thus the edge rollers may be pulled in against the edge of the metal strip 13 to hold and guide the strip as it enters the housing 10 from the furnace which is not shown. Edge rollers 22, 23 may be mounted outside of housing 10 if desired. Another pair of similar edge rollers (not shown) are located outside of the housing 10 at a location downstream from the pouring housing 10, thereby to positively locate the centerline of the strip 13 as it moves through the housing 10. Within the housing 10 there is mounted a pair of reducing rollers 30, 31 which serve to roll the strip to a final desired thickness. A mechanism 32, the details of which are not shown, may be used for adjusting the pressure applied by the rollers 30, 31 to the moving metal strip 13. Within the housing 10 is a pair of spaced apart floating edge rail means 33, 34. The end of the rail means 33, 34 adjacent the reducing rollers 30, 31 is mounted on a pivot bar 36 which extends through the rails 33, 34 and into the side walls 17, 18. The other end of the rails 33, 34 extends outside of the housing 10 into a cooling compartment 40, and is supported by the bar 41 which is mounted on brackets 42, 43 connected to the end Wall of the housing 10. Screw-threaded means 44 and 45 are provided at either end of the bar 41 for adjusting the height of the bar 41 above its respective brackets 42, 43, thereby to adjust the elevation of the side rails 33 and 34 at the outlet end of the housing, and thereby to adjust the elevation of the metal strip. Screwthreaded means 44 and 45 also serve to assure that the strip 13 is perfectly horizontal, thereby to prevent more babbitt from being deposited on one edge of the strip than on the other. The rails 33, 34 each have a V-shaped groove 35 (see FIGURE 4) in which the edges of the strip 13 are clamped, thereby to guide the strip through the housing 10. The V-shaped grooves 35 also serve to support the strip 13 from underneath and to form seals at the edges of the strip to prevent molten babbitt from running off the edges of the strip. Grooves 35 are straight throughout the length of the rails 33, 34, in contrast to the prior art apparatus wherein the strip was forced into a downward path of the side rails.

At the outlet end of the housing 10, a bar 50 extends through the edge rail means 34 and is connected into rail 33. The bar 50 has sliding clearance through the edge rail 34 and terminates in a threaded portion on which is mounted a nut 51. The nut 51 is spaced from the side rail 34, and a compression spring 52 is mounted around the bar 50 between the nut 51 and the side rail means. By adjusting the nut 51 in respect to the bar 50, spring 52 may be more or less compressed in order to spring bias the side rail 34 toward the side rail 33. Similarly, two other spring biased rods are provided to mount rails 33 and 34 in respect to each other, but in addition these other two rods spring mount rails 33 and 34 in respect to the side walls 17, 18 of housing 10'. Rod 55 is located underneath pivot rod 36, and one of its ends is attached in side wall 17. Its other end extends through a hole 56 in side wall 18 and a portion thereof located outside of wall 18 is surrounded by compression spring 57 located between washer 58 and threaded adjusting nut 59. Where rod 55 extends through rails 33, 34 the hole in the rails should be sufficiently large to permit slight pivoting movement of the rail in respect to rod 55, the amount of the pivoting being on the order of 1 or less. Rod 60 is located intermediate rods 50 and 55. It terminates in rail 33, extends through clearance hole 61 in rail 34, and extends through a clearance hole 62 in side Wall 18, and has a nut 63 threaded to its outer end, similar to rod 55. To counteract the tendency of side rails 33, 34 to be pulled toward each other at locations above the plane of the strip 13, two or more adjustable spacer devices are secured between the rails 33, 34 near the top thereof. Spacer device 66 is shown in detail in FIGURE 2, but spacer 65 has been omitted therefrom in order better to show the roller mechanism 95.

Babbitt pouring means such as the cup is positioned in slots 81 in the side rails 33, 34 and rests on rollers 82, '83 on the moving metal strip 13. Thus as the side rails 33, 34 move sideways in the housing at the command of the moving metal strip, so also does the pouring means move laterally at the command of the lateral motion of the strip 13. The pouring means comprises the cup 80 having a series of outlets 85 across its bottom and spaced above the metal strip 13. Strainer baffles 86 extend across the reservoir 87 within the cup 80, and openings 88 permit the strained and dross-free molten metal from the reservoir 87 to flow through the openings 85 to the top surface of the strip 13. Pouring funnel means 89 is mounted through the top wall 16 of the housing to fill the reservoir 87. As molten babbitt flows through the openings 85 it fills the transverse groove 90 formed by the pouring means and the metal strip 13. The pouring means has a front and a rear spreading foot 91 and 92 which serve similar to doctor blades to help to distribute the molten metal instantly across the strip 13. Rollers 82 and 83 also serve to force the molten babbitt across the strip 13 and down into the pores of the metal strip 13, if this strip material is made of porous sintered material. The pouring cup means 80 also includes a bracket 75 which holds a stiff Wire brush 76 with the tips of its bristles against the top surface of the metal strip 13, thereby to aid in the distribution of the metal across the strip and to aid in filling the pores if the strip 13 is made of porous metal.

In the prior art device where the transverse location of the strip 13 throughout its passage through the housing was forcibly maintained by rigidly mounted side rails which forced the strip into a downwardly and then an upwardly direction, there was continuously the tendency of the strip to buckle in the middle. This produced scrap material. In the present device the side rails float at the command of the metal strip and the metal strip moves essentially in a straight line through the housing so there is much less tendency for the metal strip to buckle, but if it does tend to buckle it usually buckles downwardly in the center or relatively unsupported area thereof. To control this slight tendency a roller device 95 is mounted underneath the strip 13 preferably near the exit end of the housing and serves to keep the bottom central portion of the strip from buckling downwardly. The roller device 95 comprises a roller 96 in engagement with the underneath side of the strip 13. Roller 96' is mounted on the bracket 97 which in turn is supported on the shaft 98 by the collar 99, and arm 100 is connected to the collar 99. The opposite end of the arm 100 is split at 101 and a rod 102 extends across the split end 101 of the arm 100. A vertically extending rod 103' passes through the bracket 104 and terminates in an adjusting nut 105. By turning nut 105, rod 103 which is threaded through the bracket 104, serves to put more or less upward force on the roller 96 against the underneath side of the strip 13. Thus control of the buckling of the strip 13 may be made from the outside of the housing At the outlet end of the housing 10 there is a cooling mechanism 40 having baflles 47 therein and having a Water spray mechanism 48 which sprays water between the rails 33, 34 and up against the underneath surface of the babbitted strip 13. Thus the babbitt is solidified before the strip 13 passes out of the cooling zone 40.

Thus is provided an apparatus for casting molten metal on an endless metal strip to provide strip stock from which sleeve bearings may be made. The strip 13 preferably comprises a strong metal backing layer on the top surface of which there is adhered a sintered porous layer, as is known in the art. The apparatus of the present invention can be utilized to fill the pores of the sintered layer, and also, by controlling the slight tilt of the side rails 33, 34 about pivot 36 by means of adjustable rod 41, the babbitt may be made to slightly overcast; i.e. to leave a thin layer of babbitt material above the filled sintered layer. The control of the degree of casting or overcasting resides in the slight tilt of the side rails. This tilt is only about one-half or three-fourths of one degree, and consequently the strip 13 moves in virtually a straight line through housing 10, thereby greatly reducing the forces which were exerted by the previous apparatus on the moving strip, with consequent reduction in the buckling tendency of the strip.

While there have been described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and it is, therefore, aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the tube spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for depositing liquid babbitt on a moving meal strip comprising, an enclosed housing having an entrance end opening for the metal strip and an opening at the exit end for said strip, a pair of V-shaped edge roller means on opposite sides of said strip and in engagement therewith for guiding said strip in said housing, a pair of spaced apart floating edge rail means Within said housing, spring means biasing said rail means against both edges of said strip for supporting both edges of said strip and forming edge seals therewith to prevent said liquid babbitt from running off of the top surface of said strip, means mounting said floating edge rail means to said housing for lateral movement in respect to said housing at the command of said strip as said strip moves lengthwise through said housing in contact with said floating edge rail means, pouring means mounted within said housing for pouring liquid babbitt on the top surface of said moving strip at a location between said spaced apart edge rails.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by said edge rollers being within said housing and by edge roller adjusting means mounted through a Wall of said housing and engaging said edge rollers to adjustably control their lateral position within said housing roller adjusting means.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further characterized by said pouring means comprising a pouring cup, means mounting said pouring cup to said floating edge rail means whereby said pouring cup moves laterally as said rails move under the command of said moving strip.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further characterized by said pouring means including roller means secured thereto and extending laterally across said strip to control the spread of said molten babbitt on said moving strip.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further characterized by said pouring cup having an outlet positioned adjacent the top surface of said strip, and by said roller means comprising two rollers, one before said outlet and the other behind said outlet in respect to the direction of travel of said strip past said outlet to control the flow of the molten babbitt and to spread the babbitt across the width of the strip.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim '5, further characterized by roller means secured to said housing and in engagement with the underneath surface of said strip at a location between said floating edge rails to minimize transverse bowing of said strip.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further characterized by brush means mounted in said housing and positioned to engage the molten babbitt at a location adjacent to and downstream from said roller means to facilitate spreading said molten babbitt.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further characterized by said means mounting said floating edge rail means comprising means pivoting said edge rail means to said housing at a location adjacent the entrance end thereof, and strip location adjusting means nearer the exit end thereof for holding said rail means at an adjustable up and down location thereby to adjust the vertical location of the strip as it leaves the babbitt pouring means to control the flow of the babbitt on the strip and to control the depth of the pool of molten babbitt on said strip.

9. Pouring means for pouring molten metal on a continuously moving strip, said strip being capable of lateral movement comprising: spring biased, laterally floating edge rail means engaging the edges of said strip for limiting the lateral movement thereof, a pouring cup mounted on said edge rail means adjacent the top surface of said strip and having outlet means from the interior of said cup directed downwardly toward said strip, said cup and said outlet means extending across the width of said strip thereby to deposit molten metal substantially across the entire width of said strip, roller means connected to said cup and extending substantially the width of said cup, said roller means engaging the top surface of said strip to spread said molten metal and to maintain said outlet means spaced above the surface of said strip.

10. Pouring means as set forth in claim 9, further characterized by said roller means comprising two rollers extending the width of said cup, one of said rollers being located on either side of said outlet means.

11. Pouring means as set forth in claim 10, further characterized by weir means extending across said cup on either side of said outlet means, the bottom edges of said Weir means being spaced from said strip a distance less than the distance said outlet means is spaced from said strip thereby forming a molten metal-containing channel across said strip.

12. Apparatus for depositing liquid metal on a moving metal strip comprising; an enclosed housing having an entrance end opening and an exit end opening for said strip, a pair of spaced apart horizontally floating edge rail means, means mounting said rail means within said housing including pivot means for pivotal adjustment 7 8 motion of one end of said rails in respect to said housing, 1,034,970 8/ 1912 Brown 164-335 molten metal pouring means located adjacent said pivot 1,234,233 7/1917 Terry 118108 means for pouring molten metal on the top surface of 1,361,932 12/1920 Avermaete 118-410 said moving metal strip, the pivotal adjustment of said one 1,945,065 1/ 1934 Mosslang et a1. 118108 X end of said rails in respect to the pouring location helping 5 2,031,795 2/ 1936 Salzman 164-275 to determine the depth of molten metal deposited on said 2,203,679 6/ 1940 Edwards 164-86 strip.

J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner. References Cited R. S. ANNEAR, Assistant Examiner. UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 348,535 8/1886 Rosenblatt 118-108 462,331 11/1891 Schaeffer 1l8108 164281 

